"The Blue Mo ..." a Blue Mountains National Park Travel Page by M0B1US

The Blue Mountains is New South Wales' most accessible World Heritage National Park, ranging from soaring crags and cliffs, ancient wilderness to lush rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and peaceful, rural valleys.

Part of the fun is getting here and by far the best and easiest way is by train as it wends its way through the mountains out to the other side and on eventually to Perth 5,000 miles away. The views are fantastic!

Katoomba itself is an Art Deco mecca with many fine architectural examples of this period down its two main streets towards the famous Three Sisters.

At the Three Sisters, there is an opportunity to do some excellent bushwalking at the base of the cliff there, all you need do is find your way to the bottom, either by foot, train or cable car...

Further afield is the site commemorating the early explorers attempts to find a route through the Great Dividing Range, when they got to the other side they found herds of cattle that had beaten them to it!

Blackheath is a great place to stop for a bite to eat on the way to Govett's Leap and also has some excellent antiques shops as well as a famous Rhododendron Festival every year.

There is so much to do in the Blue Mountains!

Go bushwalking, sightseeing, follow the historic trail, buy antiques or go caving at the Jenolan Caves - there is plenty to keep you occupied!

The most touristy part has to be the Three Sisters look out, which is chock full of attractions like an IMAX theatre, the steepest railway in the world and a couple of cable cars which take you to the bottom of the huge cliff. At the bottom there is a walking trail through the bush to an old mining village with plenty of information about its history - if you want to go further afield, trails take you to some waterfalls nearby or you could keep going literally for days!

Near Lithgow on the otherside of the Blue Mountains is the Zig Zag Steam railway which, as its name suggests, zigzags its way down a hill.

If the heat is stifling down in Sydney, come up to the Blue Mountains, you can be sure that its a few degrees cooler up here!

For just AU$13.60 return you can take a scenic train journey from Sydney's Central Station to Katoomba in the heart of the Blue Mountains in less than two hours!

You can drive up here or take the coach, but for my money the best way is by train if you only want to do the main tourist bits...

You would need your own transport to get to places like Govett's Leap and the Jenolan Caves, unless you take a special tour bus.

Once at Katoomba there is a great trolley bus that does a circuit around all the attractions around Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth. There is a surprising amount to see around these three towns including a number of attractive gardens and some impressive waterfalls - when there isn't a drought!